A freshly painted house facade is something that can make many envy the look of your home. And even though this project requires some elbow grease and plenty of time, many of us find it quite enjoyable. Even if you have never painted exterior walls before, there’s nothing to worry about because, with just a little bit of preparation, you’ll be more than ready for a task like this. In order to make things easier for you, we’ve come up with a list of 4 tips that are guaranteed to help.

Choose the paint type carefully

One of the first things you’ll have to do when taking on a project like this is choosing the paint you’re going to use. There are 2 types of exterior paint – oil-based alkyd and water-based latex. A large number of pros prefers oil-based alkyd paints since these are more durable and stain-resistant. Still, they tend to be a bit more difficult to clean, since you can only do it with mineral spirits. On the other hand, water-based latex paints may not be that durable but they can be cleaned with nothing but soap and water.

Prepare the surface

If you want your home to look nice once your paint job is finished, you’ll have to prepare the surface for painting before you start. This includes cleaning all the dirt, grime and mildew (if there is any) from your walls. The easiest way you can do this is by using a power sprayer. Still, hand-scrubbing will also do the trick and it won’t take up more time since it requires almost no preparation. If your old paint is in good condition, you can simply paint over it. Just make sure you scrape any spots where your previous paint chipped off.

Get all the equipment

You’ll hardly be able to get the project done unless you use all the necessary painting equipment. First of all, this includes brushes and rollers of all kinds, which are one of the most important tools you’re going to use. You should use rollers for covering large surfaces and brushes for painting onto edges and smaller areas. If your home has more than one level, reaching all the spots won’t be easy. The best way to deal with this problem is to hire a scissor lift which will make painting high levels a real piece of cake.

Work your way down

Starting at the bottom and working your way up may seem like the easiest way to start, but you should do the exact opposite. This way, you’ll be working with the gravity instead of against it. When painting exterior walls, drips are inevitable and it’s much easier to deal with these mishaps as you’re working your way down. Once both top and bottom of your exterior have been painted, make sure you take a closer look at each of your walls and fill any gaps or deal with any mistakes you’ve previously made.

Follow all of these tips and repainting your home’s exterior will be a real piece of cake. Just bear in mind that you should be very careful when choosing the color or colors, since they will be on your exterior walls for years to come. It’s recommended that you first buy one can of paint and see how it looks like on your walls. This is an important thing to do because the color you see on the can usually doesn’t look exactly like that when applied on the wall.